Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 474: Guess the Fairy

Sun Wukong couldn’t watch any longer, and after closing the shop, he started instructing Tian Peng to clean up the table while asking, "Why do I feel like you’ve been distracted these past two days?"

As soon as Tian Peng heard this, he immediately perked up, "Not at all, Mr. Monkey, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Haven’t I always been like this?"

"Hmph, anyway, I think something is off with you," Sun Wukong said, stroking his chin and examining Tian Peng closely, "Something is definitely off. Although I can’t pinpoint what it is, these past couple of days you seem to have become a bit more proactive with your work."

At that, Tian Peng nervously paused his wiping with the cloth, freezing in place, and stealthily glanced at Sun Wukong. He saw that Wukong was busy washing the tools for making milk tea and wasn’t looking at him.

Tian Peng stubbornly retorted, "What are you talking about, Mr. Monkey? Is it wrong for me to be diligent? It seems like you always have something to say about me."

Sun Wukong gave him a sidelong glance, "Slacking off and lacking enthusiasm suggest a problem with your attitude. Tell me, have you been bribed by those from Buddhism?"

Tian Peng raised his hands in wide-eyed innocence, "Heaven and Earth are my witness! Don’t you know me, Mr. Monkey? After we opened the shop, except for the time I went down to the mortal world to help the Shopkeeper, have I ever left your sight? How could you even suspect me? You really chill my heart."

Indeed, Tian Peng had not left his sight these last few days, but Sun Wukong was very confident in his own intuition, even if he hadn’t asked outright yet.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong to blame you," Sun Wukong said, though his words indicated otherwise.

Tian Peng took this opening to act even more aggrieved with a huff, adopting a very wronged expression. "You were already blaming me wrongly, Mr. Monkey. Tell me, in what way have I not done well? I’ve been nothing but hardworking and loyal, even when others say I’m not as good as you, I don’t get angry. And I’ve always been obedient to you."

"Aren’t you not as good as me because my talents are simply there?" Sun Wukong said as he finished washing the tools and placed them upside down on the rack, "I’m not even as good as my master, so what’s that got to do with anything?"

Tian Peng had no idea how to respond to the retort, but recalling what Fairy Chang’e had said to him, he found some inexplicable courage, "Regardless of what’s said, I always hear people say I’m not as good as you. Even though I know it in my heart, it does make me feel somewhat uncomfortable."

"So what do you want to do about it?" Sun Wukong asked as he placed the last measuring cup on the rack, "Do you want old Sun to say that you are the most formidable, the most fantastic?"

Tian Peng was startled by Sun Wukong’s words. He quickly turned away, not looking at Sun Wukong, and earnestly continued wiping down the table, "That’s not what I meant, Mr. Monkey. You really don’t understand people’s feelings."

Finally catching onto something different, Sun Wukong pressed the point, "So by that, you mean to say I don’t understand people’s feelings, but somebody does understand yours?"

Tian Peng thought of Chang’e again, affectedly twisted about, and then slowly answered, "Anyway, with so many people in the Heavenly Court, there’s bound to be someone who gets me."

"Like who?" Sun Wukong asked curiously, examining Tian Peng.

The table had already been wiped down clean, and Tian Peng, caught up in the conversation, hadn’t noticed whether he had finished wiping it or not, just fidgeting around.

"Either way, there is someone who understands me, and even if I know I’m not as skilled, I won’t feel wronged anymore."

"Come on, say it, let’s hear who it is," Sun Wukong said with a smile, "Tell me, so I can learn from them. Perhaps in the future, I can also become someone who is understanding."

"You can’t learn it, Mr. Monkey," Tian Peng said.

"Oh?" Sun Wukong still wore a smile, step by step walking towards Tian Peng, "I can’t learn this thing? Others are naturally gifted at it, and I simply can’t learn?"

Tian Peng wiped the table and suddenly felt a chill on his back; he realized he must have misspoken and quickly corrected himself, "No, that’s not what I mean."

Sun Wukong chuckled, "Then do tell me who that Immortal Official is who can soothe your heart, come on, say it out loud. I want to go visit them and ask for some advice." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"That won’t do, Mr. Monkey, you’ll scare them away," Tian Peng recalled the fearsome look on Sun Wukong’s face last time. If Sun Wukong really went to find Fairy Chang’e, he might frighten her so much she’d never dare to come back again.

"What are you talking about? You’ve become as tough as four of me and you haven’t been scared, so how could I scare her away?"

"Oh, Mr. Monkey, I’m not talking about scaring her with appearance. There you go again, attacking my looks while we’re having a serious conversation," Tian Peng said, feeling wronged. "It just proves you aren’t empathetic enough; that’s because you’re a man, after all. Men aren’t cut out for delicate tasks; even if they can manage it, it looks odd and off-putting."

"Oh, so it’s a female Immortal," Sun Wukong gleaned critical information from Tian Peng’s words.

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Tian Peng quickly put away the rag and went over to the sink to wash it.

Sun Wukong followed him, "Why are you walking away when we’re in the middle of talking? Come on, don’t go. Tell me, who is this female Immortal? Even though I have a short temper, I’ve never lost it with a female Immortal. You know this, right?"

While he said this, he indeed had acted accordingly; having been in the Heavenly Court for several years now, Sun Wukong really had never lost his temper with a female Immortal, and everyone knew it.

In fact, Tian Peng’s fear that Sun Wukong would scare Chang’e wasn’t the only reason for his reluctance; he also felt inferior to Sun Wukong in terms of appearance, body shape, skills, and craftsmanship.

If Sun Wukong chatted with Chang’e more often, what if she stopped queueing up at his place and instead turned to Sun Wukong? The blossoming romance would fly away before it even started.

"I am aware of that, but..."

Sun Wukong persisted, "But what?"

As Tian Peng was still figuring out how to put it into words, Sun Wukong had nearly gotten in his face. Tian Peng steeled himself and blurted out, "Oh, Mr. Monkey, look at you, always competing with a female Immortal. How about I promise not to speak of you again, will that work?"

"Come on, I’m not afraid of you saying stuff about me anymore," Sun Wukong said. "Just tell me who she is, and I swear I’ll never lose my temper at you again. How about that?"

Even though Sun Wukong was earnest in his promise, Tian Peng was still reluctant to reveal his affection for Chang’e and the intimate things she had coincidentally said to him. Clenching his teeth, he shook his head, "No matter what, I won’t tell you. You might as well hit me; even if you do, I won’t tell you!"

Although Sun Wukong might occasionally throw a kick at Tian Peng, he wouldn’t hit someone out of the blue over something trivial like this. If Tian Peng didn’t want to say it, then he could guess.

Throwing the rag into the basin, Tian Peng closed his eyes and faced Sun Wukong, "Hit me then, go on and hit me!"

"Just look at you." Sun Wukong snorted and walked away from the counter.

Tian Peng couldn’t understand Sun Wukong’s reaction. Actually, he felt more guilty than anything else; he knew it was only a matter of time before Sun Wukong figured it out.

Even though Sun Wukong would inevitably find out sooner or later, Tian Peng still didn’t want to be the one to tell it now.